Model independent tests of the standard cosmological model

Understand

The dark energy problem has led to speculation that not only may LCDM be wrong, but that the FLRW models themselves may not even provide the correct family of background models.

• We discuss how direct measurements of H(z) can be used to formulate tests of the standard paradigm in cosmology.
• On their own, such measurements can be used to test for deviations from flat LCDM.
• When combined with supernovae distances, Hubble rate measurements provide a test of the Copernican principle and the homogeneity assumption of the standard model, which is independent of dark energy or metric based theory of gravity.